Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (GF, Nut-Free & Dairy-Free)

I have always loved zucchini bread because of its moist, wonderful texture, but it’s never really been a go-to bread recipe when I’m baking. However, this past summer, my coworker Bob brought me a 7 pound zucchini, and the first thing I thought to make was zucchini bread! Although 7 pounds seems huge, when I shredded it in my food processor it was even more than I expected. I was literally drowning in zucchini. I used about 1/2 of the zucchini right away, but froze the rest in quart size ziploc bags for when Winter came and 7 lb vegetables were no longer in surplus.

These muffins are great for so many reasons. They’re moist, full of rich chocolate, super soft, and best of all, very allergy-friendly! I brought these to a girls’ brunch a few months ago and they were a hit. When I remembered I still had leftover shredded zucchini in the freezer, I instantly thought of these muffins. I was a little hesitant to use anything other than fresh zucchini, but these turned out as delicious as I remembered.

Whether you’re looking for a perfect on-the-go breakfast recipe, or trying to sneak more vegetables into your picky kids’ (or husband’s) diet, these muffins are the answer! Give them a try- I hope you love them as much as I do!

Recipe notes: If you’re using zucchini that’s been frozen, you will have a lot of excess moisture, so be sure to squeeze most of the water out or your muffins will be sad and soggy. In the recipe below, I mention dairy-free chocolate chips, but you can use whatever kind of chocolate chips you’d like and still get the same results. Dairy-free (vegan) chocolate chips can be found at Whole Foods!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1/2 C dairy-free chocolate chips, divided

2 C grated zucchini, excess water squeezed out

2 eggs, beaten

6 T coconut or vegetable oil

1 t vanilla extract

1 1/2 C Gluten Free flour blend

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 t sea salt

1/2 t baking soda

12 t baking powder

1 C coconut sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 325° and line standard muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.

Melt 1/4 C of the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals, stirring between to ensure they’re melting evenly. Set aside to cool sightly.

In a large bowl, add grated zucchini, eggs oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Add melted chocolate chips and whisk again until fully combined.

In separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients and remaining 1/4 C of chocolate chips. Make a well in center of bowl and slowly pour in wet mixture. Fold together with rubber spatula until incorporated, making sure to not over-mix.

Pour into prepared muffin tin and bake for 22-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. You don’t want to over bake these or they’ll be dry!

Tip** Store these in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze in sandwich size ziploc bags for busy weekday mornings!